2026 USPHL Premier End of Year Divisional Award Winners
The 2025-26 USPHL Premier End of Year Divsional Award Winners recognize each division’s top Forward, Defenseman, Goaltender, and Coach, as nominated by member clubs and voted on by league general managers and head coaches, ensuring each honoree was selected by those who competed against them throughout the season. Click Here to see the full breakdown of the Award Winners.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
Forward – Ben Smith – Mercer Chiefs: Ben Smith had one of the most productive forward seasons in the division, finishing with 37 goals and 88 points in 41 games for the Mercer Chiefs. His ability to produce at an elite rate from the first week to the last made him the unanimous choice among Atlantic coaches.
Defenseman – Finn McGolrick – West Chester Wolves: On the blue line, Finn McGolrick of the West Chester Wolves was the clear consensus pick, combining 8 goals and 33 assists for 41 points in 37 games with the kind of defensive reliability that coaches value as much as the offensive numbers.
Goalie – Ryan Kalina – Red Bank Generals: In net, Ryan Kalina gave the Red Bank Generals a reliable backbone all season, posting 17 wins with a 1.97 GAA and a .941 save percentage across 24 appearances.
Coach – Brian Leonard – West Chester Wolves: Brian Leonard of the West Chester Wolves led his team to a 36-6-1-1 record with 74 points and an Atlantic Division title.
FLORIDA DIVISION
Forward – Sam Moore – Tampa Bay Juniors: Sam Moore appeared in all 44 games and led the Florida forward corps with 45 points.
Defenseman – Eemil Ketola – Tampa Bay Juniors: Finnish blueliner Eemil Ketola contributed 25 points in 42 games from the defensive side.
Goalie – Konsta Hiltunen – Tampa Bay Juniors: Konsta Hiltunen anchored the net with 16 wins, a 2.27 GAA, and a .930 save percentage in 26 appearances.
Coach – Garrett Strot – Tampa Bay Juniors:Head coach Garrett Strot earned the Florida Coach of the Year after taking his team to a 25-18-0-1 season with 51 points.
GREAT LAKES DIVISION
Forward – Trevin Johnson – Toledo Cherokee: Up front, Trevin Johnson gave the Toledo Cherokee a dangerous offensive weapon all season, posting 31 goals and 65 points in 40 games.
Defenseman – Jake Taylor – Metro Jets: Jake Taylor of the Metro Jets played all 44 games and finished with an extraordinary 51 assists on the season — a playmaking total that would stand out in almost any tier of junior hockey. Taylor’s 56-point total made him the coaches’ runaway choice on the back end.
Goalie – Gavin Reagan – Battle Creek Kernels: Galvin Reagan earned the goaltending honor for Battle Creek, leading the Kernels in net across a heavy 31-game workload.
Coach – Kenny Miller – Toledo Cherokee: Kenny Miller of the Toledo Cherokee earned the Great Lakes Coach of the Year after finishing the season with a 37-6-1-0 record and 75 points. Miller and Cherokee were a wildcard team at USPHL Nationals.
MIDWEST DIVISION
Forward – JJ Gongol – Chicago T-Rex: JJ Gongol gave the Chicago T-Rex the division’s best forward performance, finishing with 35 goals and 83 points in 42 games in a season that made him one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league.
Defenseman – Antoine Bonin – Fort Wayne Spacemen: Antoine Bonin put together one of the most statistically dominant defensive seasons in the Premier, posting 24 goals and 44 assists for 68 points in 42 games — numbers that would be exceptional for a forward, let alone a blueliner.
Goalie – Gleb Rakov – Fort Wayne Spacemen: In net, Gleb Rakov earned the Goaltender of the Year after winning a tiebreaker over Chicago T-Rex’s Kiryl Zamana on wins, posting 15 victories in 20 appearances.
Coach – Kaleigh Schrock – Fort Wayne Spacemen: Kaleigh Schrock earned the Midwest Coach of the Year after winning the Midwest regular season and playoff title for the Spacemen. They finished the regular season going 33-11-0-0 with 66 points.
NEW ENGLAND DIVISION
Forward – Chase Petrella – South Shore Kings: Chase Petrella of the South Shore Kings earned the Forward of the Year in a tiebreaker over Northern Cyclones’ Landon Werner, with Petrella’s 62 points edging Werner’s 55 in the points-based resolution.
Defenseman – Owen Kneeland – Northern Cyclones: Owen Kneeland was the clear consensus choice at defenseman, earning a dominant share of coaches’ votes with 7 goals and 44 assists for 51 points in 43 games for the Northern Cyclones.
Goalie – Chase Murray – South Shore Kings: In net, Chase Murray of the South Shore Kings finished the year with a 1.93 GAA and a .937 save percentage backing up his case.
Coach – Bill Weiand – Northern Cyclones: Bill Weiand of the Northern Cyclones earned the New England Coach of the Year after winning the New England Division. The Cyclones finished the year 37-5-1-1 with 76 points.
NORTH DIVISION
Forward – Felix Ahlstrand – Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings: Felix Ahlstrand of the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings finished with 33 goals and a remarkable 60 assists for 93 points in 43 games, a total that placed him among the highest-scoring forwards across all eleven divisions.
Defenseman – Olivier Bolduc – Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings: Olivier Bolduc of the Riverkings earned the Defenseman of the Year after finishing the season with 53 points.
Goalie – Peyton Anderson – Minnesota Squatch: Peyton Anderson was the most statistically dominant goaltender in the Premier this season. His 1.10 GAA and .955 save percentage in 16 appearances for the Minnesota Squatch were the best numbers posted by any qualified netminder in the league, and he backed them up with 15 wins.
Coach – Chic Pojar – Minnesota Squatch: Chic Pojar of the Minnesota Squatch earned the North Coach of the Year and took his squad to USPHL Nationals. Minnesota finished the year with an outstanding 37-4-1-1 record and 76 points.
NORTHWEST DIVISION
Forward – Roman Wolynec – Seattle Totems: Roman Wolynec finished with 42 goals and 83 assists for 125 points in 41 games for the Seattle Totems, the highest point total posted by any forward across all divisions.
Defenseman – Tyler Moser – McCall Smokejumpers: Tyler Moser of the McCall Smokejumpers earned the Defenseman of the Year for his steady and reliable presence on the McCall blue line across 37 games.
Goaltender – Matej Hronsky – Seattle Totem: Matej Hronsky earned the Goaltender of the Year after ballot spelling corrections confirmed he was the outright leader. His 23 wins, 1.68 GAA, and .938 save percentage in 28 appearances were among the best goaltending lines in the Premier.
Coach – Ryan Howse – Vernal Oilers: Ryan Howse of the Vernal Oilers earned the Northwest Coach of the Year after a near perfect season going 42-2 with 84 points. The Oilers won the Regular season title, Northwest regular season and playoff title, and won their second consecutive USPHL Premier Championship.
PACIFIC DIVISION
Forward – Mason Welsh –Ontario Jr. Reign: Mason Welsh finished with 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points in 40 games as the Pacific’s top forward.
Defenseman – Christian Yi –Ontario Jr. Reign: Christian Yi contributed 10 goals from the blue line in just 24 games, an exceptional goal-scoring rate for a defenseman.
Goaltender – Noah Hammarstrom – Fresno Monsters: Noah Hammarstrom earned the goaltending award with an 18-win season backed by a 2.25 GAA and a .928 save percentage in 25 appearances.
Coach – Jeremy Blumes – Ontario Jr. Reign: Jeremy Blumes of the Ontario Jr. Reign finished the season with a 35-9-2-0 record and 72 points. Ontario Jr. Reign won the Pacific Division playoff title and made the trip to Wayne, NJ for Nationals.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Forward – Simon Eriksson – Potomac Patriots:Simon Eriksson rounded out the player awards with 28 goals and 64 points in 38 games, a near-point-per-game pace.
Defenseman – Linus Gustafsson – Hampton Roads Whalers: Linus Gustafsson won the Southeast Defenseman of the Year by the widest margin of any award in the division.
Goaltender – Felix Tolke – Hampton Roads Whalers: Felix Tolke put together one of the most statistically exceptional goaltending seasons in the entire USPHL Premier, finishing with 27 wins, a 1.21 GAA, and a .956 save percentage across 28 appearances.
Coach – Colten Teubert – Hampton Roads Whalers: Colten Teubert earned the Southeast Coach of the Year after winning the Southeast Division Title and taking his team to USPHL Nationals. Hampton finished the season with a 36-7-10 record with 73 points.
ST. LAWRENCE DIVISION
Forward – David Caya – Hawkesbury Knights: David Caya appeared in all 44 games and led the St. Lawrence forward group with 25 goals and 46 points.
Defenseman – Raphaël Bousquet –Montreal Black Vees: Raphaël Bousquet earned the Defenseman of the Year after finishing the season with 26 points over 31 games played.
Goaltender – Anthony Gervais – Hawkesbury Knights: Anthony Gervais posted 16 wins with a 2.24 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 23 appearances.
Coach – François Cloutier – Montreal Black Vees: François Cloutier of the Montreal Black Vees won the St. Lawrence Coach of the Year after finishing the regular season with a 28-12-0-3 record.
ALBERTA DIVISION
Forward – Michael Metcher – Three Hills Titans: Michael Metcher led the division with 44 points in 29 games.
Defenseman – Liraz Perrott – Three Hills Titans: Liraz Perrott produced 40 points in 31 games, one of the most eye-catching defensive seasons in the division.
Goaltender – Ryan Roberts – Three Hills Titans: Ryan Roberts completed the sweep in net, going 8 wins with a .921 save percentage in 19 appearances.
Coach – Dean Fedorchuk – Calgary Bandits: Calgary Bandits Head Coach Dean Fedorchuk earned the title of Alberta Division Head Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 25-7-1-2 record with 53 points. Fedorchuk took his team to the Alberta Division Championships as well.